Research Structure, and Quality of Academic Research in the Public Universities of the Republic of South Sudan

The purpose of the research is to evaluate the quality of academic research in public universities in the Republic of South Sudan with the objectives of establishing the relationship between research structure and quality of academic research. Descriptive and cross-sectional designs using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The study was carried out in the five Universities. Both random and purposive sampling methods were used to identify 23 heads of departments, 65 teaching staff, and 205 dissertations reviewed with an average response rate of 91%. Three tools were deployed to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. These include interview guide, observation checklist, and questionnaire. Participants consented before they participated in the study, and approvals were sought at the different levels. Utilized computation of research aggregates using the SPSS V 2. Descriptive statistical analysis was used for demographic information, and correlation analysis was used to determine relationships between variables and factors that may predict the quality of academic research. There is a positive correlation between independents variables (research procedure r = 0.672, structure r = 0.698, format r = 0.8311 with p < 0.01). This implies that academic research structure contributes to good academic research. In conclusion, the structure of the academic research is not consistent between the five public universities in South Sudan, between the faculties and departments of the same public university. Academic research structure is positively correlated with the quality of the academic research in public universities of the Republic of South Sudan. There is consistency in the general structure of the academic research.

Creation of a State Drug Shortage Dashboard in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: Drug shortages are anticipated to worsen with time as the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues. The aim of this study is to track drug shortages within Illinois and identify causes and trends to this time-sensitive problem. Methods: In order to communicate between health systems within the state, the Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists (ICHP) developed a medication shortage dashboard, which collects information from health systems in the state on current drug shortages. Classes of medications inquired about included: anti-infectives, neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs), sedatives/analgesics, vasopressors, and “others.” Data was gathered from 6 different medication shortage dashboards, ranging from May 20, 2020 to June 22, 2020 and was used to track drug shortages within Illinois. Additionally, this data was analyzed in conjunction with the number of hospital beds utilized by COVID-19 patients at the time. Results: Illinois’s medication shortage dashboard tracked the supply level of 42 medications used in the treatment of patient’s hospitalized with COVID-19. Data from an average of 75 health systems was analyzed each week (average response rate: 52%). For each medication, health systems identified if they had ample supply, mild shortage, moderate shortage, or critical shortage. Overall the trends of these medications positively correlated with the number of hospital beds utilized by COVID-19 patients in Illinois ( r2 = 0.7). Conclusion: The data from this study supports the conclusion that increased hospital bed utilization by COVID-19 patients is correlated with increased drug shortages of medications used in the treatment of COVID-19. It is imperative that health systems take appropriate action to prevent and manage drug shortages.

The impact of COVID-19 and social distancing on people with Parkinson’s disease: a survey study

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the international community, very little is known about its impact on the health and day-to-day activities of people with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD). To better understand the emotional and behavioral consequences of the public health policies implemented to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in PwPD, and to explore the factors contributing to accessing alternative health care mechanisms, such as telehealth, we administered an anonymous knowledge, attitude, and practice survey to PwPD and care partners, via the mailing lists of the Parkinson’s Foundation and Columbia University Parkinson’s Disease Center of Excellence with an average response rate of 19.3%. Sufficient information was provided by 1,342 PwPD to be included in the final analysis. Approximately half of respondents reported a negative change in PD symptoms, with 45–66% reporting mood disturbances. Telehealth use increased from 9.7% prior to the pandemic to 63.5% during the pandemic. Higher income and higher education were associated with telehealth use. Services were more often used for doctor’s appointment than physical, occupational, speech, or mental health therapies. Almost half (46%) of PwPD preferred to continue using telehealth always or sometimes after the coronavirus outbreak had ended. Having received support/instruction for telehealth and having a care partner, friend, or family member to help them with the telehealth visit increased the likelihood of continuous use of telehealth after the pandemic ended. Taken together, PD symptoms and management practices were markedly affected by COVID-19. Given the observed demographic limitations of telehealth, expanding its implementation to include additional physical, occupational, psychological, and speech therapies, increasing support for telehealth, as well as reaching underserved (low income) populations is urgently required.

The Quality of Practical Pedagogical Training During the Epidemic Through the Eyes of the Slovenian Physical Education Student Teachers

In 2020, physical education teacher education (PETE) students of the Faculty of Sport of the University of Ljubljana (N = 46) had to complete a large part of the practical pedagogical training online. Using an online questionnaire, we investigated how they delivered distance learning in physical education (PE) at Primary Schools, the extent to which they achieved their objectives, encouraged students to move, delivered content, and assessed. The delivery mostly depended on whether the school included PE in the timetable. On average, most lessons took the form of independent student activity following written or recorded instructions, and the others took the form of online outdoor or indoor live classes. The latter were often used to give instructions, check tasks and motivate. Some schools organized at least one sports day (26%), active break (21%), or active class break (9%). Most student teachers chose different objectives compared to a traditional form of instruction: they emphasized the development of motor and functional abilities rather than the acquisition of new motor and social skills. All student teachers delivered physical fitness, followed by athletics (59%), dance and aerobics (43%), ball games (except volleyball 33%) were represented in a smaller proportion. 21% of the students taught content continuously. The assessment was done by 71.4% of the students (many of them only assessed the completion of the tasks) and evaluation by only 31.0%. They used a workout diary, videos or photos, or live conference calls. The average response rate was 71% for 1st-6th graders and 59% for 7th-9th graders. 21% did not attempt to reach non-responding students, while 10% indicated that they did not have problems with nonresponding.

THE EFFECT OF PRINCIPALS' COMPETENCIES ON ACCREDITATION IN MADRASAH TSANAWIYAH THROUGHOUT TELLU SIATTINGE DISTRICT BONE REGENCY

This study described the effect of principals’ competencies on madrasah/school accreditation in Madrasah Tsanawiyah in Tellu Siattinge District in Bone Regency. Substitution of principals frequently occurred, having an impact on the achievement of accreditation. The principals’ competencies were managing and supervisory. Madrasah accreditation was the process of content standards, competency standards for graduates, standards for educators and educational staff, standards for facilities and infrastructure, financing standards, management standards, and procurement standards. Ex-post facto research was used to find the cause of an event. The population was 88 teachers, as well as the sample. The instrument was a questionnaire that was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics by testing the hypothesis with the product-moment test and simple regression analysis. The results showed that the reality of principals competencies with 86.56 of the average response rate was in the very good category with 66.9%. In the reality of madrasah accreditation, the average of respondents’ responses was 87.57, which was in the very good category with 68.2%. Furthermore, there was a positive and significant effect of principals' competencies on accreditation in Madrasah Tsanawiyah throughout Tellu Siattinge District in Bone Regency. The principals’ competencies of madrasah, which was utilized well by their leadership, provided an increase in madrasah accreditation. It was evidenced by 0.832 of the coefficient and 0.000 of the significance.Abstrak:Penelitian ini mendeskripsikan pengaruh kompetensi kepala madrasah terhadap akreditasi madrasah di Madrasah Tsanawiyah se-Kecamatan Tellu Siattinge Kabupaten Bone. Pergantian kepala madrasah sering terjadi, memberikan dampak terhadap pencapaian akreditasi madrasah. Kompetensi kepala madrasah di antaranya kompetensi manajerial dan kompetensi supervisi, sedangkan akreditasi madrasah dinilai melalui standar isi, standar proses, standar kompetensi lulusan, standar pendidik dan tenaga kependidikan, standar sarana dan prasarana, standar pembiayaan, standar pengelolaan serta standar penilaian. Penelitian ex-post facto digunakan dalam menemukan penyebab dari suatu peristiwa. Populasi penelitian adalah 88 guru sekaligus sebagai sampel. Teknik pengumpulan data dengan angket serta dianalisis dengan statistik deksriptif dan statistik inferensial dengan pengujian hipotesis dengan uji korelasi product moment dan analisis regresi sederhana. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Realitas kompetensi kepala madrasah dengan rata-rata tanggapan sebesar 86,56 berada pada kategori sangat baik dengan persentase sebesar 66,9%. Realitas akreditasi madrasah rata-rata tanggapan responden sebesar 87,57 berada pada kategori sangat baik dengan persenta­se sebesar 68,2%. Selanjutnya terdapat pengaruh yang positif dan signifikan kompetensi kepala madrasah terhadap akreditasi madrasah di Madrasah Tsanawiyah se-Kecamatan Tellu Siattinge Kabupaten Bone. Kompetensi kepala madrasah yang dimanfaatkan dengan baik oleh kepala madrasah dalam kepemimpinannya memberikan peningkatan terhadap pencapaian akreditasi madrasah, hal ini terbukti dengan koefisien 0,832 dan siginifikansi 0,000.

MENGUKUR MINAT BERWIRAUSAHA MAHASISWA POLITEKNIK NEGERI BENGKALIS DENGAN ADANYA PELAKSANAAN PROGRAM MAHASISWA BERWIRAUSAHA (PMW)

This study aims to determine how the students' interest in entrepreneurship, the most dominant interest in entrepreneurship among students, and the lowest interest in entrepreneurship among students of Bengkalis State Polytechnic. The population in this study were active students of Bengkalis State Polytechnic in 2019, with a sample size of 100 students, and the sampling technique used was proportionate stratified random sampling. The results showed that of the four indicators of entrepreneurial interest, namely feeling motivated, feeling interested, feeling happy, and having a desire to be entrepreneurial, the overall criteria are very high, the most dominant is feeling happy to be entrepreneurial with an average response of 4.64 , while the lowest was feeling motivated to become entrepreneurial with an average response rate of 4.21.

Japanese translation and validation of web-based questionnaires on overuse injuries and health problems

This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Overuse Injury Questionnaire (OSTRC-O) and the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Questionnaire on Health Problems (OSTRC-H) into the Japanese context. The validity and reliability of these translated questionnaires examining overuse injuries and health problems among Japanese university athletes were also examined. The translation was performed following an internationally recognized methodology. A total of 145 athletes were tracked over 10 consecutive weeks and four questions were added in the 10th week to examine the questionnaires’ content validity. Test-retest analysis for reliability was performed 24–72 hours after the 10th week of registration. Internal consistency was determined by calculating Cronbach’s a during the cohort study. No major disagreements were found in the translation process. The translated questionnaires had high acceptance and compliance, with an average response rate of over 80% throughout the 10-week cohort study. Most participants reported that the questionnaires were not difficult to complete, there were no items they wanted to change or add, and that the web-based technique worked effectively. Good test-retest reliability and high internal consistency was observed in the translated questionnaires. The translated questionnaires were found to be valid, reliable, and acceptable for medically monitoring Japanese athletes.

Global Asthma Network Phase I Surveillance: Geographical Coverage and Response Rates

Background—The Global Asthma Network (GAN) Phase I is surveying school pupils in high-income and low- or middle-income countries using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) methodology. Methods—Cross-sectional surveys of participants in two age groups in randomly selected schools within each centre (2015–2020). The compulsory age group is 13–14 years (adolescents), optionally including parents or guardians. Six to seven years (children) and their parents are also optional. Adolescents completed questionnaires at school, and took home adult questionnaires for parent/guardian completion. Children took home questionnaires for parent/guardian completion about the child and also adult questionnaires. Questions related to symptoms and risk factors for asthma and allergy, asthma management, school/work absence and hospitalisation. Results—53 centres in 20 countries completed quality checks by 31 May 2020. These included 21 centres that previously participated in ISAAC. There were 132,748 adolescents (average response rate 88.8%), 91,802 children (average response rate 79.1%), and 177,622 adults, with >97% answering risk factor questions and >98% answering questions on asthma management, school/work absence and hospitalisation. Conclusion—The high response rates achieved in ISAAC have generally been maintained in GAN. GAN Phase I surveys, partially overlapping with ISAAC centres, will allow within-centre analyses of time-trends in prevalence.

Let's get everyone involved! The effects of transformational leadership and organizational culture on organizational excellence

PurposeThis paper posited a dynamic relationship between transformational leadership, organizational culture, and organizational excellence in order to develop a better understanding of the casual linkages between these three areas.Design/methodology/approachThe research methodology includes a multi-item scale questionnaire survey which included 448 samples from United Arab Emirates (UAE) with an average response rate of 61.1%. The hypotheses were tested by applying structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analyses. Analyses used the Mplus software package.FindingsThe key finding in this study suggests that creating the involvement culture provides the all-inclusive participation and holistic engagement from employees, which consequently leads to organizational excellence.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is more focused on particular type of leadership and can extend to other types of leadership as well the other regions. The study extends the findings of previous studies that suggested authoritative was essential initially but that this would change with the emerging culture.Practical implicationsManagers should foster an involvement culture and adopt transformational leadership style in order to reap the benefits of the quality management approaches.Originality/valueFrom existing research on leadership in QM context, we adopt transformational leadership in connection with organizational culture and organizational excellence. The originality of the study lies in its quantitative approach to test an already demonstrated phenomenon about the relationship between transformational leadership, organizational culture and business excellence. This study significantly contributes to the literature on QM by discovering that organizations with transformational leadership styles and involvement or adaptability cultures can perform well and achieve organizational excellence.

International Microsurgery Club: An Effective Online Collaboration System

Background This study aimed to determine if International Microsurgery Club (IMC) is an effective online resource for microsurgeons worldwide, in providing an avenue for timely group discussions and advice regarding complicated cases, and an avenue for collaboration and information sharing. Methods All posts on the IMC Facebook group from member 1 to 8,000 were analyzed according to inclusion criteria and categorized into three categories—case discussion, question, and information sharing. Posts were retrospectively analyzed for number of responses, time of responses, number of “likes,” number of treatment options, time of day, and demographics of authors and responders. Results A retrospective analysis of 531 cases showed an average response rate of 75.7% within 1 hour and as membership grew. The response rate stabilized averaging between 72.5 and 78% across all times of the day. An average of 11.8 microsurgeons was involved per case discussion, and 5.7 treatment options were provided per case. Conclusion IMC is shown to be an effective resource to allow microsurgeons to access timely advice from other microsurgeons without time and distance limitation, and to have interactive group discussions on complicated cases.